About GDP

For years, dairy has been known for its nurturing and nourishing goodness.The image of wholesome nutrition for families has been, and remains, a key to its place at the world table.Those attributes, however, are only part of the story.Dairy plays a much larger role – in our lives and our communities – than is commonly appreciated by consumers.

The whole story of dairy is about an industry that created millions of jobs and has the capability to sustain and revitalize rural communities in all corners of the world. It's about a quest to help children thrive, communities grow and generations build upon responsible land stewardship. World economic, financial and food crises contribute to make dairy's tale one of food security and producing nutritious food, both safely and sustainably.

These things and more bind dairy's story, and our industry, together. Since its inception, Global Dairy Platform has worked to promote the nutrient richness of dairy products, bring balance and research to the role of milkfat in the diet and provide clarity on how dairy is managing its relationship with the environment. Now more than ever, as the world's population increases by 75 million people per year, the time is right to tell the story of dairy's power as a sustaining lifeforce, as well as the dairy goodness we bring to billions of people everyday.

GDP Mission and Vision

Our Mission: To align and support the dairy industry to promote sustainable dairy nutrition.

Our Vision: Consumers value milk and dairy products as naturally nutritious, enjoyable and an essential part of a healthy diet.

Jay WaldvogelSenior Vice President of Strategy and International Development, Dairy Farmers of America, Inc.

Our Staff

Donald Moore, Executive Director

From the dairy industry to the information technology and business consulting arenas, Mr. Moore has held a variety of general management, strategic and marketing roles.

Mr. Moore joined the dairy industry 10 years ago and most recently served as Director Ingredients Marketing for Fonterra Cooperative Group Ltd. Prior to that, he held various senior executive roles with Fonterra, including Director of Business Development for the global ingredients business and Regional Managing Director for Oceania.

Mr. Moore was also a member of the Fonterra Sustainability Leadership Council and the Food and Regulatory Assurance Council.

Born in Northern Ireland, Mr. Moore moved to New Zealand in the 1970’s where he finished his schooling before joining the IT industry. Prior to entering the dairy industry, Mr. Moore spent 9 years as chief executive of New Zealand’s largest independent business and information management consulting firm where he oversaw its international expansion opening offices across South East Asia.

Dr. Cindy Schweitzer, Ph.D., brings more than 20 years of nutrition experience in the non-profit, ingredient and food service industries. At GDP, Dr. Schweitzer works on behalf of the dairy industry towards a coordinated global research plan. In particular, her focus is finding gaps in the research, while avoiding duplication, resulting in the best investment of research resources.

Dr. Schweitzer comes to GDP from McDonald's Corporation, where she served as Manager of Global Nutrition. She made a major contribution to the creation of McDonald's global nutrition strategy, with considerable involvement with governmental and NGO diet/health regulatory guidelines and claims. She also worked at Cognis Corporation (formerly Henkel Corporation), as well as the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (formerly the National Live Stock & Meat Board), among other organisations.

Dr. Schweitzer grew up on a small dairy farm in northern Wisconsin and earned a Ph.D. in Human Nutrition at Utah State University.

Jerreau Beaudoin joined Global Dairy Platform in July 2012, and works with various leadership teams and workgroups to define and create messaging and collateral that ensures voice, tone and consistency across the global marketplace.

Prior to entering the dairy industry, Mr. Beaudoin spent 17 years leading the development and implementation of communication programs at three large international healthcare companies. He also served in various marketing and communication leaderships roles within the United Way of America system for more than seven years.

Mr. Beaudoin earned a BA in English at the University of Puget Sound and Graduate Certificate in Integrated Marketing Communications at the University of Washington.

Joining GDP in 2016, Nata Wierhas more than 15 years of Executive Assistant experience, most recently at Baird & Warner Real Estate.She also brings some financial expertise through the Chicago Mercantile Exchange where she was involved with internal auditing.

As GDP Office Manager, Nata participates in all aspects of operations from administrative support of the GDP staff and finance to website maintenance and membership relations.Additionally, Nata supports the Board and Operational Committee by recording the minutes of all meetings and maintaining the corporate files of the organization.